Browns’ Chubb quietly leads NFL rushing race
Third-year back a model of consistency, but Titans’ Henry is hottest ball carrier
Without looking, who would you say is the current rushing leader in the NFL?
Christian Mccaffrey? Early on, yes. But he hasn’t surpassed the 70-yard mark in four weeks and now sits third.
Dalvin Cook? At one point. But it’s been seven games since he has reached triple figures on the ground. He’s now fifth.
It’s also been tough sledding of late for Ezekiel Elliott, who is sixth on the list after going five games without reaching the 100yard mark.
Meanwhile, the leader of the pack with three weeks to go on the NFL schedule is Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns, who has 1,281 yards (for an average 5.1 yards per carry) and has been a model of consistency throughout the season. After running for 75, 62 and 96 yards in the first three games, the third-year ball carrier hasn’t gone two straight weeks without reaching the century mark. If there was a thought former rushing champ Kareem Hunt would steal some snaps after returning from his suspension, well, Chubb has done a fine job of strengthening his grip on the No. 1 job.
Now, a more important question to ponder as the season winds down and the ground game takes on added importance with the weather getting colder: Who’s the hottest running back in the league?
That would be Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, who’s second behind Chubb on the season with 1,243 yards. The 25-year old former Alabama Crimson Tide star has rumbled for triple digits in each of the past four games, averaging 149.75 yards per outing. He has scored seven touchdowns during that span.
Not coincidentally, the Titans have won all four of those games, and after a 2-4 start, will host the Houston Texans on Sunday in a battle of 8-5 teams for top spot in the AFC South.
The Titans are 3.5-point favourites and fully deserve to be. Former Dolphins pivot Ryan Tannehill has resurrected his career and is playing like a quarterback who could win it all. Over the four-game winning streak, he’s thrown nine touchdown passes against just one interception.
Tennessee’s defence ranks
19th, but it’s still better than the Texans who, minus J.J. Watt, have a 25th-ranked defensive unit. The Texans are also 2-2 in their last four outings, although one of the victories came against the New England Patriots.
The Texans have the best receiver in the game in Deandre Hopkins, but ever-fragile deep threat Will Fuller is questionable with a hamstring injury that’s held him out of four of the last six games.
Henry has also been dealing with a “hamstring issue,” although you’d never know it.
“On Sunday,” Henry told reporters in Nashville, “I’ll be ready to go.”
You have to like the Titans’ chances with him on the field.
ON SECOND THOUGHT
Fans in The Big Easy are very hungry for another Super Bowl championship, and nobody gets this better than Saints coach Sean Payton, who took some heat for his decision to go for what turned out to be a failed two-point conversion in the first quarter of Sunday’s 48-46 loss to the 49ers. “I certainly understand the fans asking questions,” Payton said during his weekly radio show on WWL in New Orleans. “I got the guy at frickin’ Whole Foods asking me about the two-point play. I looked at him, the guy in the meat section, and I said, ‘Hey, your steaks don’t look too good right now. Worry about your frickin’ meat.’ … Both Chubb and Henry, at least, should surpass the 1,500-yard plateau, which is significant in that it’s a number that’s been reached only once ( by Elliott, when he led the league with 1,631 yards in 2016) since Demarco Murray rushed for 1,845 in 2014. At the time, the Murray mark was almost greeted with a shrug, as two years earlier Adrian Peterson ran for 2,097 yards. Oh, how the game has changed … In last Sunday’s win over the Patriots, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes suffered an injury to his throwing hand. While X-rays showed no break, the hand was said to be “really swollen” on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, Mahomes could grip and throw a football for the first time all week. And on Sunday, he’ll probably pass for 400 yard s and four touchdowns against the Broncos. The question is, will Drew (Rock Star) Lock have better numbers?
MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN
Dak Prescott is the league pace setter with 4,122 yards through the air, but in the weekly quarterback index compiled by four Nfl.com editors, the Cowboys passer had slipped to No. 10 in league rankings. Ahead of him, in order: Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Tannehill and Jimmy Garoppolo. Of note, the great Tom Brady is currently ranked 12th among
QBS in the NFL. Of course, the playoffs haven’t started yet.
EXTRA POINTS
Saints star receiver Michael Thomas needs 23 catches over the last three games to break the NFL record for most receptions in a season. He’s currently at 121. The standard was set by Marvin Harrison of the Colts (143) in 2002 ... Cut by the Cowboys (who have decided Kai Forbath is a better option), former Ottawa Redblacks kicker Brett Maher worked out for the Titans this week. Their current kicker, Ryan Succop, has missed four of his last five field goal attempts.